VZCZCXRO0109
PP RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHSM #0691/01 3091403
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 051403Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4849
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 STOCKHOLM 000691 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2019 
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINR TU EUN AF SW
SUBJECT: SWEDISH LEFT PARTY'S FOREIGN POLICY GOALS: TROOPS 
OUT OF AFGHANISTAN, MORE PRESSURE ON ISRAEL 
 
REF: A. STOCKHOLM 686 
     ¶B. STOCKHOLM 86 
     ¶C. 2008 STOCKHOLM 848 
 
Classified By: PolCouns Marc Koehler for reasons 1.4 (B) & (D). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: On November 4, MP Hans Linde, the Left 
Party's foreign affairs spokesman, gave poloff a preview of 
his party's policy priorities, including on labor rights and 
Afghanistan -- two issues which are obstacles to consensus 
within the opposition Red-Green Coalition.  Coalition parties 
-- the Social Democrats, Greens and Left -- meet weekly to 
discuss policy differences, but will not be ready to present 
publicly their joint platform for the September 2010 general 
elections until early next year (Ref B).  The Left wants to 
pull Swedish troops out of Afghanistan and wants Sweden to 
put more pressure on Israel.  Linde serves on the 
Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and on the board of 
the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, the longest-serving 
foreign NGO in Afghanistan.  End Summary. 
 
¶2. (C) The Left Party's main policy priorities include labor 
rights and gender equality, and for many decades the Left has 
worked successfully on these issues with Sweden's largest 
political party, the Social Democrats (SDP).  With such a 
history, Linde said building consensus on most domestic 
issues will not be problematic -- a sentiment echoed by SDP 
International Secretary Ann Linde (no relation).  However, 
building a common platform on foreign policy and 
immigration/integration issues will be challenging.  The Left 
Party -- formerly the Communist Party of Sweden -- is still 
sympathetic to the plight of workers in other countries, but 
now is concerned that further liberalization of Sweden's 
generous immigration laws threatens the current high level of 
Swedish workers' rights and benefits.  Linde said the Left 
has never cooperated with another party on immigration and 
that it is unlikely the Red-Green Coalition will reach 
consensus on the issue.  In fact, the SDP have more in common 
with the governing Moderate Party than with the Left, he 
said. 
 
¶3. (C) Linde said Left Party members are keenly aware of 
global issues and many joined the party because they opposed 
the Vietnam War and apartheid in South Africa.  Newer members 
joined out of opposition to military intervention in Iraq and 
Afghanistan, and the "marginalization" of Palestine.  These 
issues are a "big part" of Left Party identity and the Left 
is therefore, according to Linde, limited in its ability to 
compromise with the SDP.  The Left has never formally 
cooperated with other parties on foreign affairs. 
Ironically, foreign policy tends to "mobilize" Left Party 
members into action more than any other issues, Linde 
commented. 
 
¶4. (C) On Afghanistan, the Left wants Swedish troops out and 
"civilian support to replace military support."  Linde cited 
the successes of the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan 
implementing its aid program for over 30 years, especially in 
southern Afghanistan.  Within the Red-Green Coalition, 
Afghanistan is such a contentious issue that Linde is 
pessimistic that consensus will be formed before the election 
(Ref B).  The Left wants a new strategy that includes a clear 
timetable for Sweden's military withdrawal, although it has 
not proposed a specific date and instead wants to arrive at 
an agreed date with the other Coalition parties.  In 
contrast, the SDP supports troops in Afghanistan at least 
through 2010 (Ref A).  In any case, as the issue is not 
expected to play a large role in the elections, the Red-Green 
Coalition will focus on labor issues in the run-up to the 
polls. 
 
¶5. (C) Linde asserted that Sweden's large Palestinian 
diaspora heavily influences Swedish policy toward the Middle 
East.  The Left wants a more "equitable" foreign policy 
between Israel and the Palestinians and Linde is sure that 
the Red-Green Coalition will reach consensus in this area 
prior to the election.  He stated that the Left supports the 
"Norwegian Model" of direct dialogue with Hamas and increased 
pressure on Israel to end the Gaza blockade and allow 
unrestricted humanitarian aid into Palestine.  The Coalition 
will also push for an import ban on Israeli-made arms 
(although the actual numbers are low) as a symbolic 
statement. 
 
¶6. (C) If elected, the Red-Green Coalition would focus on 
improving the EU's "social dimension," including labor market 
and trade union reforms.  There will be no referendum on the 
Euro under a Red-Green government, but Linde is positive the 
governing coalition would hold a referendum if reelected.  As 
to Turkey, all seven of the major parties in Sweden support 
Turkey's EU accession and the Red-Green Coalition would 
continue to push for this in Brussels. 
 
STOCKHOLM 00000691  002 OF 002 
 
 
 
¶7. (C) Comment: The Left Party holds only 22 seats in the 
349-member Parliament, as opposed to the 130 seats of the 
largest party, the SDP.  But the importance that the SDP 
places on opposition party unity heading into the elections 
will give the Left disproportionate influence on Red-Green 
policies (Ref C). 
BARZUN